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Zamia is a genus of small, palm-like cycads from the Americas, mostly deciduous shrubs with stems that can sit at ground level or rise on a short trunk. Grow them in bright conditions with well-drained soil, as they tolerate dry spells once established.
Zamia is a genus of cycad of the family Zamiaceae, native to North America from the United States (in Georgia and Florida) throughout the West Indies, Central America, and South America as far south as Bolivia. The genus is considered to be the most ecologically and morphologically diverse of the cycads, and is estimated to have originated about 68.3 million years ago.
The primary toxin in Zamia plants is cycasin, a carcinogenic and neurotoxic glucoside. Other glucoside toxins present include macrozamin (de) and several neocycasins. BMAA, a neurotoxin that is produced by cyanobacteria living in roots of the plants, is also present in most Zamia plants.
Many of the Zamia species are, or have been, gathered to process the stem and/or seeds into starch for use as food or laundry starch, or for use as traditional medicine. Since almost the entire plant is very toxic, the starch must be grated and repeatedly washed to remove the toxins and make the starch edible. Only the sarcotesta, the pulpy covering of the seeds, is relatively free of toxins.
With one exception, Zamia species are found only in the Neotropical realm in the Americas. The exception is Z. integrifolia, which has a range that extends into the Nearctic realm in northern Florida, and formerly into the southeastern corner of Georgia.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Zamia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
